Bush's big affirmation

George W. Bush's historic victory on Nov. 5 – a surprise Republican sweep of both houses of Congress, unprecedented for a midterm election – vindicates the president's controversial election two years ago and hands him the keys to the national policy agenda. The GOP triumph, in which Mr. Bush boldly put his prestige on the line, barnstorming the country for Republicans, also boosts the president's image on the world stage as he goes toe to toe with terrorists and Iraq.

"Bush was [just] elected president of the United States," says independent pollster John Zogby. "He's on his own with his own agenda. From here on in, everything is a referendum on George W."

Bush now faces the classic scenario of "being careful what you ask for, because you might get it." The kingdom is his – but his control of Congress is razor-thin, and he lacks the Senate supermajority of 60 votes needed to halt a filibuster. And as when Bill Clinton had control of Congress for the first two years of his presidency, Bush may find he has to mediate policy differences between different wings of the Republican Party.

Still, a new day has dawned for Bush's stalled legislative agenda, including creation of a department of homeland security, approval of a host of conservative judges, prescription-drug coverage for Medicare, and drilling for oil in Alaska's wildlife refuge.

It looks likely that Congress will make permanent the 10-year, $1.35 trillion tax cut enacted last year, though many Senate Democrats were already on board with that. GOP control of the Senate also raises the possibility that one or more conservative Supreme Court justices may retire in the next two years, allowing Bush to name a replacement and win likely confirmation.

According to Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer, creation of a department of homeland security will be the first priority in the lame-duck session of Congress that starts Nov. 12.

Looking ahead to the 2004 presidential race, one of Bush's biggest challenges is to boost the economy. Even while returns were coming in Tuesday night, White House officials were talking about putting together a package of measures designed to stimulate growth – such as tax cuts for business and investors – to unveil in the new Congress.

The specter of 9/11 continues to loom large. The attack on America galvanized his presidency after a lackluster first nine months, and boosted his popularity to levels that remain high. Sept. 11, observers say, gave Bush a coating of Teflon that made him hard to attack during the campaign.

If terrorists hit US soil again, Americans would likely rally around their president again – but it could be argued that several such attacks could, at a certain point, tip against the president. War on Iraq over weapons of mass destruction, if Bush's saber-rattling comes to that, would also be risky for Bush and the GOP.

Page: 1 | 2